


8ring Her 8ack

by ClockworkDinosaur (orphan_account)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: (but not all pesterlog), Character death takes place before the story, F/F, Far Future, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Sburb, pesterlogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-31 00:45:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10888353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ClockworkDinosaur
Summary: Terezi Pyrope was the first of the joint clusterfuck Sburb-Sgrub sessions to die.





	8ring Her 8ack

**Author's Note:**

> i had to post this once and delete it because i fucked up pesterlog formatting so bad that ao3 just ate half the fic. FUCK pesterlog formatting.
> 
> extra special thanks to [unluckyxse7en](http://archiveofourown.org/users/unluckyxse7en) for editing and also being there for emotional support, especially while i flailed around trying to figure out basic HTML. ilu

“Fix this, Strider!” Vriska demanded as she slapped a captcha card on Dirk's workbench. Dirk hadn't heard her come in and jerked upwards out of the chair he had been half-dozing in. He blinked a few times, taking in Vriska's manic appearance. Her hair was a rat's nest of tangles and snarls that wrapped around her long horns and fell in her face. Golden eyes with eight cobalt-blue pupils flashed, their fire not doused by the tears that tracked down her cheeks.

“She shouldn't be dead, you need to _fix this!_ ” she said with more urgency.

Dirk looked at the code given. His eyes widened and he looked back up at Vriska, his expression incredulous.

“Are you asking me to do what I think you are? Because-”

“You know I am!” Vriska cut him off with a fist against the workbench, rattling the scrap metal and tools that littered the area. “You know exactly what I want and I know you can do it. Your robot-self wanders around acting like a prick all the time.”

“Hal _is_ much more of a prick than I am,” Dirk said before he sighed, taking his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. He looked exhausted, rebukes tying themselves up in his head before he could sort them out. “Maybe it's best to let sleeping dogs lie, Vriska.”

“The problem is she's not lying anywhere except in a fucking corpse-box!” Vriska shouted. She stood up straight and took a deep breath. “Dirk, please. I know you can bring her back.”

“It's not exactly bringing her back,” Dirk pointed out. “Depending on when you made this snapshot of her brain, I could be creating a clone of seven sweep old Terezi. She wouldn't know shit about the past sweeps and it would be bad for everyone involved.”

Vriska rolled her eyes. “I'm not a moron, Strider. The snapshot is from a few weeks before she...” She trailed off, jaw tightening.

Dirk closed his eyes, every instinct in his mind telling him to turn her away. Another part of him relished in the challenge and knowledge that nobody else on Earth-C could do it.

Against his better judgment, Dirk said,“Alright. But you owe me, Serket. Give me a few months, this won't be a small project.”

Vriska smiled, genuine relief evident under a thin veneer of smugness. “Thank you Dirk. And I know she'll thank you too!”

With that, Vriska turned and left.

Dirk turned the captchacard in his hands, studying the code on the back and the strange troll brain ghost-image. He had sworn off messing with bio-AI since Hal was built. Part of him wondered if he could even still do it.

Of course he knew he could. But his real question was if he _should_.

Terezi Pyrope was the first of the joint clusterfuck Sburb-Sgrub sessions to die. She was non-God Tier, had no extraneous circumstances like Kanaya's rainbow-drinker affliction or Karkat's mutant blood to keep her alive for longer than any other teal-blooded troll. Jane's life powers could only go so far. Her natural death of old age wasn't entirely unexpected, but it still hit hard.

Vriska took it the worst, understandably.

With a groan, Dirk turned to his whiteboard and began sketching out plans.

 

“Dirk. _Dirk._ Oh bloody hell, did you work through the night _again?_ ”

Dirk opened his eyes, wincing at the grit that stuck his eyelids together. Late afternoon sunlight poured in through the windows and seemed to drill into his head.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty. Or afternoon, if you'd rather be accurate,” Jake said, amused. His arms were crossed and eyebrows raised as Dirk peeled his face from the worktable, papers shuffling as he moved his stiff arms and wiped drool from the wood.

“Wh' day is it?” Dirk asked before picking up a nearby bottle of water and gulping it down. It was warm and had a dusty taste to it, but Dirk still finished it.

“They day you learn how to crawl your ass into bed at a decent hour, perhaps?”

“I really do not need your sass today, English.”

“No sass here, sir, just genuine concern.”

Dirk stood, his knees and back popping as she stretched. He brushed past Jake and half-stumbled into the bathroom. He ignored his haggard reflection as well as he could but was still confronted with his own greasy hair and dark-circled eyes in the mirror.

“What are you planning?” Jake shouted from the workshop.

“Let me piss in peace, Jake,” Dirk called back as nervousness bubbled up into his chest. Though Jake was great with robotics, he didn't know a lot about AI programming. Hopefully he wouldn't decipher what Dirk had been doing for hours on end.

A minute later, Dirk emerged from the bathroom, face and shirt wet from the cold water he had splashed on himself. Jake was in one of Dirk's office chairs, rolling idly as he fidgeted with a wrench.

“I was serious about my question earlier, what day is it?” Dirk asked, laying on the couch that was pushed against one wall and smelled of oil fumes and old sweat.

“It's Wednesday,” Jake said pointedly.

“Date night, fuck.” Dirk said, throwing his head back. “I'm sorry.”

“Well, you haven't completely screwed the pooch yet so don't apologize. Take me to see Karkat's new film tonight and we'll be right as rain.”

Dirk quirked an eyebrow. “The romantic comedy he wrote with Dave?”

“Yes! Support your brother and your brother-in-law!”

Dirk put his hands up. “Hey, I ain't complaining. If Dave had any say in it I know it's going to be fuckin' wild.”

“Indeed,” Jake snorted. “But Karkat is already a fantastic screenwriter on his own so I'm excited to see how he and Dave worked together.”

“Me too, man. So give me like two hours to nap and I'll be at your place,” Dirk said.

“Alright,” Jake said. “Set your alarm now.”

Dirk shook his head as he sat up and pulled his phone out. “You don't need to baby me, SMFH.”

“I can't believe you said that abbreviation out loud, Roxy would be thrilled.”

Dirk turned his phone towards Jake, the alarm set and volume maximized. “I will see you in a few hours,” he said.

Jake nodded, standing as Dirk laid down. He stepped over and planted a quick kiss on Dirk's forehead before leaving.

Dirk closed his eyes, but something akin to guilt kept his mind rolling. How would Jake react when he found out that Dirk had brought Terezi back in robot form? His opinion towards Hal had mellowed over the years as Hal grew to be his own person, easily distinguishable from Dirk in speech and mannerisms, but Dirk knew of Jake's discomfort with real-person AI.

Maybe it would be different considering the flesh-and-blood counterpart was no longer in the picture.

Dirk felt a flare of sadness over Terezi's death. He had never been particularly close to her, but many of his friends were. Any sadness he had felt almost seemed second-handed.

If he had the ability to bring her back in some capacity, he should. Maybe he had to.

Knowing his mind wouldn't be shutting off any time soon, Dirk sat up and headed back to his work table. He began scrawling code in a notebook to be transferred and corrected later.

He had told Vriska to give him a few months but he knew he could get it done in one if he focused.

When his phone beeped a few hours later, he stared at it in confusion before he remembered he had a date to get ready for. He stood (ignoring his protesting joints) and headed for the back room.

Inside, a rarely-used bed and a few cardboard boxes of clothes sat in darkness. It was a bedroom away from home of sorts, but he was rarely at his own home anyway and the space had a lived-in quality. He pulled a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt that seemed clean from a box and changed. He ignored the sluggish weariness that weighed on his limbs as he left the workshop.

As he walked it occurred to him he couldn't remember the last time he had been outside. He shrugged off that thought as he approached Jake's house.

Jake, as he usually was, was already prepared. He sat on the couch and looked up when Dirk walked in, his leg bouncing with nervous excitement. With a smile he stood, met Dirk halfway across the living room, and threw his arms around him.

Dirk melted into the embrace. He never realized how touch-starved he was until Jake was there, his presence warm and solid.

“We could stay here all night but the movie starts in half an hour so we had better make a choice,” Jake said, amused.

Dirk grumbled into Jake's chest. “Don't tempt me. Any other movie we'd be planting our asses down on your couch for another round of Avatar. We could make out during the scary parts, it'd be great.”

“You're making a truly tremendous sacrifice for your dear brother and his husband,” Jake said as Dirk took a reluctant step back.

“Not too much of a sacrifice hopefully. I'm still going to make my move on you in the theater,” Dirk said.

“I don't doubt it. Let's get a move on now though.”

 

Vriska wasn't sure of what to expect from an android's apartment, but she was certainly not expecting quite as many plants. The evening sunlight and greenery of Hal's apartment gave everything a sleepy feeling as Vriska stood awkwardly in the doorway, arms crossed.

Hal seemed just as confused by her presence, head tilted though no emotion was betrayed on his silver and red-circuited face. He tapped his fingers lightly against his leg as he stared Vriska down.

“So, welcome,” he said finally, throwing his arms out. “I wasn't exactly expecting a visitor and I sure as hell wasn't expecting _you_ to show up at my house, but-”

“I have a question,” Vriska cut him off.

“Okay.”

The word hung in the air, an invitation Vriska wasn't sure she wanted to accept. She shifted on her feet, staring at a hanging plant with vines that brushed the carpeted floor.

“If you're going to ask about the plants, I have them because I like them. Ain't nothing else _living_ in this apartment besides them anyway,” Hal said dryly.

“I wasn't going to ask about that,” Vriska said.

“So you visited to gawk at the metal man?”

“No!” she said, voice rising in frustration. “Look, you're the only person I can ask this stupid fucking question and I know you're going to think I'm a bitch for it but I need to know.”

Hal raised an eyebrow, a feat Vriska was dully surprised a robot was capable of. She took a steadying breath.

“Do you... feel?” she asked, her voice wavering just slightly.

Hal froze, any pretense of simulated human movement dropped.

“Yeah,” he said after a moment. “That question really does make you seem kinda bitchy.”

Vriska growled. “Never mind,” she said as she turned, grabbing the doorknob tightly enough that her knuckles began to go pale.

“The answer is yes. I feel.”

Vriska paused but didn't turn. “I mean... everything.”

“Yeah, everything. Right now I'm feeling annoyance pretty clearly. Confusion too.”

She snorted. “I'm sorry, okay? I had to know.”

“Answer for an answer, why do you wanna know?”

“It's not important,” Vriska said, squaring her shoulders and turning back to Hal, whose arms were crossed as he stared Vriska down with glowing red eyes.

“It was important enough for you to swallow your massive ego to ask in the first place.”

“Fuck, you're an asshole,” Vriska huffed.

“Strider trait,” Hal shot with an amused expression. Vriska looked at him closely. His limbs moved fluidly, his face expressive when he wanted it to be despite being metal. He had subtle mannerisms that made him seem organic; he shifted his weight, his chest moved as if drawing breath, and he fidgeted nervously. She didn't even notice such things until he wasn't doing them.

“You're well-built,” she pointed out. “Dirk did that, right?”

Hal laughed. “Not gonna lie here, I appreciate your bluntness. Everyone else tries to beat around the fact that I'm an android for some reason. They pretend not to notice. But _you_ , you just ask the real questions with no regard for being rude. It's off-putting but appreciated.”

“Talking a lot is a Strider trait too, clearly,” Vriska said, but her lips turned upwards of their own accord, taking any malice from her words.

Hal shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it is. But to answer your question, yes. Dirk built my super hot robot bod. It was the least he could do after leaving me in a pair of glasses for so fuckin' many years and then merging me with a sweaty horse sprite guy for a while. Why do you ask though? Building a robot of your own?” Hal asked, curious. His voice almost sounded like Dirk's but with a mechanical, almost static-like undertone.

Vriska shook her head, prying her thoughts away from Hal's robotic differences. “No, asking for future reference.”

Hal nodded slowly, clearly confused. “Alright... any more questions for the automaton abomination?”

Vriska had a million, most of which she had no idea how to approach. She simply shook her head.

“Thanks, Hal,” she said.

“No prob.”

With an awkward wave, Vriska left, shaking off the warmth of Hal's apartment for the breezy autumn-leaf strewn sidewalk. The evening light streamed through fiery leaves and Vriska took a deep breath.

Terezi loved fall. On Earth, the leaves were lit up with oranges and reds in fall, a stark opposition to the Alternain tree's tendency to drop their greenery the moment the weather turned chill. Once they were settled into their own hive, she and Vriska would spend entire autumn afternoons in piles of the fallen leaves underneath the weak sun and talk.

Now the sun only made her feel too hot and exposed, an eye trained on her as if to judge her as she made her way home.

The hive was empty. The octagonal windows let in a bit of the fading sunlight and illuminated the colorfully-patterned walls and furniture. The garish prints were for Terezi's convenience, it was easier to detect more vivid colors. Vriska had never minded the colorful assault, but seeing it only felt like a painful daily reminder of who wasn't there.

She threw herself down on the couch and sighed. closing her eyes against the colors and light around her. She couldn't be bothered to drag herself to her recuperacoon and resigned herself to another night of nightmares on the couch. She wasn't sure her 'coon would have stopped them anyway.

 

It was dark by the time Dirk and Jake left the movie. Dirk had done his best to pay attention but none of the plot had actually sunk in, as preoccupied as his mind was.

“...And I think the part where Godzilla tore France apart was bloody genius,” Jake said.

Dirk grunted in response, preparations for what he was going to do next on Terezi's AI programming buzzing in his head. Jake sighed.

“Dirk Strider, you aren't soaking in a single frigging word of what I'm saying.”

“Yes I am,” Dirk said too quickly.

“You're not! Godzilla wasn't even in the damn film. I can tell when your mind is toiling away a million miles from here. What's got you so dreamy?”

“Aw, you think I'm dreamy?”

“Don't deflect!” Jake said, bumping Dirk's shoulder with his own.

Dirk shrugged. “I'm just planning a project in my head,” he said as vaguely as possible.

“Anything I could help with?” Jake asked, green eyes wide and earnest underneath his thick glasses frames. Dirk shook his head, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets.

“It's kinda more of a personal project.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “You aren't making another auto-responder are you? One Hal and one Dirk is plenty.”

“I hear ya. No, it's not an auto-responder.”

Jake seemed satisfied with his answer. “Well, if you ever require assistance I'm just a hop skip and a jump away.”

“Thanks,” Dirk said with a smile.

The rest of the walk back to Jake's house was comfortably quiet, Dirk locked in his own head but still occasionally leaning against Jake to show that he was there and he cared. Both of them needed the confirmation. Jake did enjoy the stroll, watching the sky with its vivid stars and bright moon just as often as he watched Dirk.

Dirk's orange eyes were unfocused and occasionally darted around, his lips moving without a sound, face twitching and hands wringing. Every part of him was in motion and he was barely even aware of it. Jake was fascinated by how unguarded and open Dirk was like this. The two nearly walked right past Jake's house and he put a hand on Dirk's shoulder lightly. For a moment, Dirk's face remained open as his eyes focused on Jake. The unabashed affection that was quickly hidden behind his mask again sent a thrill through Jake.

“I had a lovely night,” Jake said.

“Me too,” Dirk said, his voice soft as the two made their way to Jake's door.

“Can I... y'know, kiss you? The best way to end a date, right?” Dirk asked, a hint of that unrestrained affection on his face, even though his carefully composed expression. Despite the fact they had been dating for years Dirk was careful never to move too quickly, always asking, ever careful.

Jake grinned. “Absolutely.”

 

Dirk didn't notice when five in the morning came around, his red-rimmed eyes glued to the computer screen as he studied lines of code.

As soon as he fixed a few bugs and gave her access to Pesterchum, Terezi would be able to communicate.

While a hacked, offline version of Pesterchum opened, Dirk muttered anxiously, a few warnings to himself, concerns he was barely conscious of. He remembered Hal's first time booting up, the confusion that mirrored his own fears as he stared at a version of himself locked away in a senseless digital realm. Hal had told him, sparing no detail, what it was like to wake up without a body, without senses, with a whole new identity and a new-found dislike from his closest friends.

And here he was, doing it again to another person.

Pesterchum opened. Despite not being connected to the internet, gallowsCalibrator was online, mood set to rancorous.

With a deep breath, Dirk opened a new chat window.

 

timausTestified [TT] began pestering gallowsCalibrator [GC]

 

TT: Terezi?

GC: STR1D3R?

GC: WH4TS GO1NG ON?

 

Terezi was coherent and quick to reply and Dirk felt relief (and just a hint of pride) swell in his chest. She was using her typing quirk, an Alternian custom Dirk never understood, but that he took as a good sign that she was truly awake.

 

TT: Yes, it's Dirk Strider. Can you answer some questions for me?

GC: WH4T 1S GO1NG ON???

GC: 1 C4NT

GC: 1 C4NT

GC: 1 C4NT F33L

 

Suddenly, any positive feelings Dirk had turned to horror as she began repeating the phrase over and over again, quickly pushing his text from the screen in a tide of teal.

 

TT: Let me explain, please.

GC: TH3R3S NOTH1NG TO F33L TH3R3S NOTH1NG TO F33L TH3R3S NOTH1NG TO F33L TH3R3S NOTH1NG TO F33L TH3R3S NOTH1NG TO F33L TH3R3S NOTH1NG TO F33L TH3R3S NOTH1NG TO F33L

TT: Shit.

GC: 1 C4NT F33L 1 C4NT F33L 1 C4NT F33L 1 C4NT F33L 1 C4NT F33L 1 C4NT F33L 1 C4NT F33L 1 C4NT F33L 1 C4NT F33L TH3R3S NOTH1NG TH3R3S NOTH1NG TH3R3

 

Dirk watched teal letters appear on the screen, frantic words with no end, just a terrified babble. She was panicking and he had no idea what to do. Taking her out of Pesterchum would be cruel, he knew that. Existing as an AI was terrible enough from his understanding, but being an AI without the ability to communicate, locked in abysmal silence, was torture.

He had done it to another, and wasn't going to do it again. Being trapped and confused must have been terrifying for Terezi, he knew he needed to tell her what happened as quickly as possible.

He knew the best person to break the news to her.

 

 

Vriska's phone buzzed while she was washing her face, blue streaks fading from her cheeks and cold water dripping from her hair as she stared at the orange letters flashing on the screen.

There was only one reason Dirk Strider would be messaging her before dawn. Her shaking hands nearly knocked the phone off the bathroom counter top. His message was curt.

 

TT: She's up. You need to get over here.

 

Vriska was dressed quickly, though it felt her limbs were refusing to cooperate. Her wings were nothing but a blue blur as she dashed towards the workshop.

The sooner she arrived, the sooner she could talk to Terezi. Her blood-pusher throbbed with warring emotions, excitement and fear and sorrow in equal measure.

She was at Dirk's workshop in record time and didn't wait to be let in. She barged through the unlocked door to see Dirk pacing, his dirty hair scraped back form his face into a messy ponytail. Orange, bloodshot eyes darkly rimmed by exhaustion met hers without surprise. Dirk looked about as shitty as Vriska felt, and she had never related to him more.

“Is she really...?” Vriska asked, looking back and forth between Dirk and the computer.

“Yeah. She's, uh... She isn't really doing so well though. That's why I called you here.”

He sat back down at his computer, typing for a moment before rolling away and offering Vriska the keyboard. Two Pesterchum windows were opened, one a full block of teal text and the other blank.

“You're logged in, sorta. It's not really Pesterchum but it works the same way, I set your handle to arachnidsGrip so she'll be familiar with you.”

Vriska took a deep breath and began typing.

 

arachnidsGrip [AG] began pestering gallowsCalibrator [GC]

 

AG: Terezi?

 

A moment of breathless silence passed. Dirk frowned at the screen. The endless scroll of “TH3R3S NOTH1NG” had stopped in his chat window but Terezi made no reply to Vriska.

 

AG: Terezi, are you there?

GC: VR1SK4

 

There was a sigh of relief. Vriska let out a strangled noise that Dirk politely pretended not to notice.

 

GC: 1 DONT KNOW WH4TS GO1NG ON

AG: A lot, I guess.

AG: What do you remem8er?

GC: W3 W3R3 GOOF1NG OFF 4ND M3SS1NG W1TH D4V3S CAPTCH4 C4MER4 TH1NG?

 

Dirk looked at Vriska, eyebrows raised. “That wasn't long before she died, was it?”

Vriska shook her head, completely focused on the screen.

 

AG: That wasn't too long ago.

GC: VR1SK4 1 C4NT F33L

GC: TH3R3S NO COLORS

AG: I know.

AG: You know Hal, of course?

GC: Y34H

GC: CH3RRY POPC1CL3 STR1D3R

AG: You know how Dirk made him from a ghost-image of his own 8rain?

GC: YOU 4R3NT S4Y1NG WH4T 1 TH1NK YOUR3 S4Y1NG 4R3 YOU

GC: 1M 4 FUCK1NG 41 NOW 4R3NT 1?

GC: WHY

GC: 1S TH3R3 A T3R3Z1 OUT TH3R3 R1GHT NOW W4TCH1NG M3 P4N1C???

AG: No.

CG: ...OH

AG: I'm really sorry, Terezi.

AG: I'm sorry. I'm really s8rry I just

AG: I couldn't de8l? I just couldn't and m88y this isn't wh8 you w8nt 8ut fuck I couldn't im8gine 8eing without y8u????????

 

Vriska was openly crying and Dirk looked at everything else but her, uncomfortable by the usually rough and rowdy Vriska's show of emotion. Part of him felt like he should console her somehow, a hand on her shoulder or comforting words or _anything_.

The rest of him was scared shitless. His stomach churned with anxiety as he watched her hiccuping sobs wrench her shoulders.

 

GC: BR34TH3 VR1S

GC: 1M 3V3N BL1ND3R TH4N USU4L 4ND 1 KNOW YOUR3 FR34K1NG TH3 FUCK OUT

GC: 4LL THOS3 8S 4ND B4R3LY 4NY OF TH3M M4K3 S3NS3

AG: I'm s8rry........

GC: 1TS OK4Y

GC: 3V3RYTH1NG 1S F1N3

AG: I missed you.

GC: 1 M34N 1 F33L L1K3 1 L1T3R4LLY JUST S4W YOU SO 1 C4NT S4Y TH3 S4ME

GC: BUT HON3TLY

GC: 4S MUCH 4S TH1S SUCKS R1GHT NOW FOR M3

GC: 1 PROB4BLY WOULD H4V3 DON3 TH3 S4ME TH1NG 1F YOU D13D

AG: Oh.

GC: SO 1 D3F1N1T3LY DONT BL4M3 YOU

GC: WHO COULD POSS1BLY L1V3 W1THOUT M3? >:P

 

Dirk snorted and Vriska turned to him like she had forgotten he was there. She blinked a few times and took a deep breath.

“So, what next?”

“Next, I build her body. That part will be easy, if time consuming,” Dirk said, swaying back and forth in the office chair. “But you knew- _know_ her better than anyone else, is she acting normal? Regular sentence structure and everything?”

Vriska nodded. “Yeah, it's her.”

Dirk noted the emotion in her voice. “Are you... okay?”

“I'm... I don't know. I missed her, that's all I was thinking about for weeks now, but here she is...” Vriska let out a deep breath. “I'm trying to wrap my head around this, I guess.”

Dirk nodded, turning back to the screen. He rolled forward, taking Vriska's place at the keyboard.

 

TT: Terezi?

GC: H3Y STR1D3R

GC: SORRY 1 GU3SS?

GC: 4BOUT FR34K1NG OUT 4ND 4LL >:[

TT: Don't mention it.

TT: The next step here is for me to build you a robot body.

TT: I know what I'm doing in that department, it's gonna be fuckin' sick.

TT: But here's where the main issue comes in: I'm not sure I can accurately recreate your sense of smell in place of vision.

 

Vriska watched over Dirk's shoulder. A low grumble emanated from her throat and Dirk tried very hard not to feel on-edge about the fact that a powerful and very emotional adult troll was at his back, a troll he didn't know very well at all and was known for her past violence. Still, his shoulders tensed as he caught sight of the glint of the computer screen off of one of her horns.

“Calm down, Strider. If I wanted to tear you apart I would have already,” Vriska said nonchalantly. “Plus I need you alive to help 'Rezi.”

“Thank you for your reassuring words,” Dirk said, voice betraying no emotion.

Vriska huffed. “I'm fucking with you, Dirk. Really, relax. I'm not a crazed murderer looking for the softest throat to tear into.”

“I know,” Dirk said shortly. “Maybe I just don't like anyone breathing down my neck, okay?”

He could feel her eye roll as Vriska backed away and Dirk turned his attention back to the screen.

 

GC: W3LL

GC: 1 WOULD R4TH3R R3M41N BL1ND

TT: I'm not saying it's impossible for me to do it, but it sure as hell won't be easy. I'll need your cooperation every step of the way.

GC: 4S FUN 4S 1T WOULD B3 FOR M3 TO B3 D1FF1CULT 1 W1LL R3FR41N FROM DO1NG SO >:P

TT: Thanks.

 

Ideas buzzed in Dirk's head, distracting enough that he didn't notice as Vriska made her way to Dirk's couch and threw herself down.

“So how long until everything is finished?” Vriska asked.

Dirk tapped his fingers as he calculated, slouched in his chair and eyes unfocused.

“Could be a month, could be longer,” he said finally. “I know what I'm doing but there's always some extenuating circumstances. No more than six months though, if I buckle down.”

“Any way I can help?”

Dirk turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “What do you know about robotics?”

“My arm used to be robotic,” she said, holding up her arm. “God Tiering fixed it, but I did most of my own repairs.”

“You built it?”

Vriska narrowed her eyes. “No. But I think I should help anyway.”

“That's closer to biomechanics than what I'll be doing. You'd just be in my way,” Dirk said, turning his back on her. “I'll get it done faster on my own.” Vriska growled.

“I'm not saying you won't be involved,” he said. “I'll be giving Terezi access to online Trollian and Pesterchum soon, and I'll need you to make sure her behavior remains normal.”

“Normal or normal _for her_?” Vriska asked.

“Normal for her,” Dirk said dryly. He rubbed his face. His eyes were dry and eyelids heavy, and it hit him that he didn't remember when he slept last.

“You talk to her for a while,” he said as he stood. “I need to rest before I do anything else.”

Vriska frowned. “Wouldn't it be best to get started as soon as possible?”

“Me taking a few hours to sleep ain't gonna affect much. And I can't do shit if I can't see straight,” snapped Dirk as he went into the bedroom. Vriska glared at him as the door slammed shut.

 

What was meant to be a few hours of sleep turned into fourteen hours of sleep. When Dirk woke up again, disoriented and stiff, it was dark outside. He stumbled out of bed and out of the room. Vriska was still at the computer, typing furiously. Dirk didn't say anything as he opened the mini fridge next to his couch.

“Don't bother,” Vriska said, tilting her head towards a takeout bag on a nearby desk. “Figured you'd be hungry after waking up from your fucking coma. Consider it thanks.”

“Aw Vriska, you do have a heart underneath the ice and venom,” Dirk said as he opened the bag. It was Chinese food, still warm, and he dug in with the enthusiasm of a starving man.

She snorted. “It's not like you can get to work building if you're sleep-deprived and hungry right?”

“I mean, I probably could,” Dirk said between bites.

“Fine then, no more free take out,” said Vriska, looking over her shoulder at Dirk with an eyebrow raised.

“Damn.”

Dirk watched Vriska type away, her blue text and Terezi's teal covering the entire screen. He had the feeling they had been talking non-stop while he slept. Terezi had been dead for over a month, they must have had a lot to catch up on.

Dirk tried to imagine what he would do in Vriska's situation, if Jake had died after being there, a constant presence in his life for so long. He couldn't fathom Jake being gone and not coming back.

He tried to avoid texting first, but he found himself opening Pesterchum.

 

TimausTestified [TT] began pestering golgothasTerror [GT]

 

TT: Hey man, sorry for messaging out of nowhere.

GT: Its quite alright! Ive been a bit worried, i hadnt seen you online all day.

TT: Yeah, I've been asleep. You know how it is, self-induced comas are all the rage with teens. Just tryin' to stay hip.

GT: Oh of course. That explains why im often asleep before 9pm and up at 6am doesnt it! haha

GT: Erm... is everything okay?

 

Dirk paused, frowning. Was everything okay? Jake was as close to dying as any other immortal God Tier, but the anxiety of losing him weighed heavily on Dirk's chest.

 

TT: Yeah bro. Just checkin' up on you and all.

TT: I uh,

TT: I'm really glad you're in my life.

 

He resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room. His own sappiness staring back at him in bright orange. Pesterchum was still for what felt like eons before Jake began typing.

 

GT: The feeling is mutual Dirk. Truly youre an important presence in my life and i wouldnt have it any other way.

TT: Swoons.

TT: Thanks, Jake.

TT: You're adorable.

TT: Hate to leave, but I got shit to get to. Lots of boring and tedious shit that's gonna suck up all my time like a black hole so I might be sorta hard to reach for a few weeks.

GT: Another big project?

TT: Yep.

TT: Talk to you when I can, dude.

GT: Ill be waiting. Take care!

 

timausTestified [TT] ceased pestering golgothasTerror [GT]

 

 

True to his word, Dirk threw himself fully into building Terezi's mechanical body. Vriska tended to linger in Dirk's workshop, bringing him food and running for supplies when needed. He appreciated the help, even if it was motivated by Vriska's desire for him to finish as soon as possible. Admittedly, he was much more efficient when he didn't need to worry about going out himself.

Part of him knew how unhealthy it was for him to be working nearly every hour he was awake. He could practically hear everyone he knew scolding him in the back of his mind. As soon as this was over, things would go back to normal and he would interact with anyone else aside from Vriska.

Though he hated having nothing to work on, in a way he almost looked forward to it.

 

It took exactly one month for Dirk to finish Terezi's robot body. She looked much like she did in life; her limbs were thick and sturdy, she was on the short side for a fully grown troll troll but her conical horns made up the height, and her eyes, though functionally useless, were piercing cherry red. Intricate sliding face plates allowed for the subtleties needed to show expression. Complex olfactory sensors, tested extensively by Terezi herself in simulations, were able to pick up on everything in her surroundings. The gray metal of her skin was close to the almost-onyx color of an adult troll's skin, a few shades lighter than her molded metal hair.

In all, it was a nearly perfect replica of what Terezi had looked like before her death.

Vriska could only stare when Dirk announced he was finished building. She scrambled from the couch, her eagerness nearly tripping her up. She pressed a trembling hand to Terezi's cold metal cheek and her breath hitched.

Dirk awkwardly patted Vriska's shoulder. Despite her near constant presence, he still had no idea how to react when she showed an emotion other than smug superiority.

“It's just like her. You really did fucking do it,” Vriska said in a near whisper.

“Obviously,” Dirk replied. “You were here goading me on the entire goddamn time.”

Vriska elbowed him in the side, just soft enough to be friendly but definitely heard enough to bruise.

While Vriska marveled over the robot, Dirk opened Pesterchum.

 

TimausTestified [TT] began pestering gallowsCalibrator [GC]

 

TT: Hey Terezi.

GC: SUP PO1NTY

TT: First of all, accurate, but couldn't the same be said for you?

GC: ...M4YB3.

TT: Second of all, are you ready?

GC: R34DY?

GC: YOU M34N

GC: OH SH1T!!!

GC: 1TS R34DY?

GC: 1 M34N

GC: 1M R34DY??

TT: Yep. Should be fully functional, you just gotta tell me if anything goes fucky.

GC: W1LL DO

GC: NOW GO!!

 

Dirk allowed himself a tired smirk. Enthusiasm poured from Terezi's words as clearly as it radiated from Vriska. He connected a few wires to a panel in the back of Terezi's head, plugging them into his computer. A few files transferred, a network established, and Terezi was fully integrated into her robot body.

Dirk and Vriska watched with bated breath as Terezi's eyes began flashing. The subtle shifts in her faceplate let Dirk know she was settling in. Vriska was inches from Terezi's face, unblinking.

It didn't take a genus to know that Terezi was going to headbutt Vriska as soon as she bolted upright, and Dirk wasn't able to say anything until it had already happened. There was a metallic clang and a spurt of cobalt blood. Two voices, one robotic and the other angry and loud said “Oh fuck!” in unison.

Terezi hopped off the workbench quickly, nearly collapsing onto Vriska in her haste.

“I didn't know you were there, Vris! Why were you hovering over me like a dumbass?” Terezi scolded, and Dirk could hear the affection lacing her words as clear as day. He stood and went into the bedroom, giving the two trolls their privacy.

Vriska, nose still bleeding and dripping blue onto the workshop floor, could only stare. Terezi stared back through her sightless eyes. A slow grin spread across black lips.

“Heya, Serket.”

Emotion making her unable to speak, Vriska threw her arms around Terezi's shoulders, blood and tears mixing into a cerulean mess as she buried her face into Terezi's shoulder.

Though she was harder and colder than Vriska remembered, the way Terezi's arms wrapped around her was as familiar as home.

 


End file.
